"Grandmother, please don't blame Eldest Sister. She did right to hit me. Today's incident, if it weren't for my losing Eldest Sister's dagger, Eldest Sister wouldn't have suffered this undeserved disaster." Xiao Ling knew she couldn't let the Old Madam find trouble with Xiao Man, otherwise, she would have no place in the General's Mansion.
"Dagger? What dagger?" the Old Madam asked, confused. Wasn't it about Xiao Man hitting her sister in anger? What did a dagger have to do with it?
"The dagger used to stab the Fifteenth Princess today was Eldest Sister's. Eldest Sister put it in the dressing room after changing. I was curious and took it to play with, and somehow lost it. Later, that dagger inexplicably became the murder weapon, and Eldest Sister almost bore the charge of harming royalty. Her slapping me a few times is already very lenient, entirely because I am her sister. Otherwise, for the mistake I made, I wouldn't be worth being alive."
Upon hearing Xiao Ling's words, the Old Madam slowly sat down. When she learned that Xiao Man had dared to kill the Fifteenth Princess, she had already made plans to expel Xiao Man from the Xiao family and sever ties to protect the General's Mansion. She never expected there to be so many twists and turns involved.
"Even if you shouldn't have lost her dagger, and she has now cleared her name, why did she beat you like this?"
"Grandmother, you only see my face. Eldest Sister's face is also injured. If hitting me makes Eldest Sister feel better, I don't feel wronged. I only beg Grandmother to let this matter pass."
Seeing Xiao Ling so sensible, the Old Madam's heart ached for her even more, and she disliked Xiao Man more and more. "You are a good child. If this elder sister of yours were half as sensible as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
Xiao Ling just cried. Being beaten like this by Xiao Man, she also hated her, but she understood even better that this matter could not escalate. Otherwise, the one who would suffer in the end would only be her.
"What are you all standing around for? Go quickly and get some ice for Miss to apply to her face to reduce the swelling."
The maids quickly agreed and went to get ice for Xiao Ling to apply to her face. Xiao Ling cried for a long time, feeling extremely wronged, yet saying not a word. The Old Madam felt as if her heart and flesh were aching.
"Granny Xu, quickly go and get my treasured Yu Ning Lu and give it to Third Miss to apply. We must not let any scars remain." The Old Madam's heart ached immensely. "You rest well. You don't need to go to the upper courtyard to pay respects for the next few days. Just recuperate here in your courtyard."
"Thank you, Grandmother, for your care."
After the Old Madam left, Xiao Ling took the ice pack from the maid and applied it to her face. Her watery eyes were filled with coldness. She had truly underestimated Xiao Man, daring to rush into her courtyard and beat her. This arrogant and overbearing demeanor truly had not changed one bit.
"Miss, why didn't you let the Old Madam decide the matter for you?" Yun Shang asked in confusion.
"What do you know!" Xiao Ling said coldly. "Do you think Xiao Man dared to come and beat me so openly without reason? She must have held evidence in her hand, possibly waiting for Grandmother to stand up for me so she could openly get rid of me!"
"Eldest Miss beat Miss like this, are we just going to endure it?"
"Endure, of course, we must endure!" Xiao Ling gritted her teeth. "However, I won't always endure it. The slaps she gave me today, one day, I will return them a hundredfold!"
When Xiao Man returned to Shui Yue Xiao Zhu, she saw Xiao Xiang hurrying out. Seeing her return, she immediately rushed forward, "Eldest Sister, you're back. We were all worried to death."
"Yes, Eldest Miss. Second Miss and I originally wanted to ask the Old Madam to plead with the Emperor, but the Old Madam was unmoved." The Third Concubine saw that Xiao Man's cheeks were swollen and had someone get a boiled egg. After peeling the shell, she wrapped it in a handkerchief and used it to apply to Xiao Man's face to reduce the swelling.
"She won't stand up for me," Xiao Man said with a cold laugh. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a slap."
"Eldest Sister, what exactly happened?" Xiao Xiang had only heard people shouting that Xiao Man had killed the Fifteenth Princess and immediately wanted to rush over, but was stopped by someone sent by His Highness Prince Qin, who then sent them back to the General's Mansion.
"It's just someone framing me." Xiao Man took the egg and rolled it on her face. "Alright, don't worry too much. It's nothing serious."
Ying Xue, however, was worriedly looking outside. Eldest Miss had angered and hit Third Miss. If the Old Madam found out, she would likely cause trouble for Miss again.
"Ying Xue, what are you looking out for?"
"I'm afraid the Old Madam will come looking for trouble with Miss," Ying Xue said with concern.
Qiu Tong asked in confusion, "Why would the Old Madam look for trouble with Miss?"
"When Miss returned to the mansion, she slapped Third Miss more than ten times. Third Miss's face was disfigured. The Old Madam has always doted on Third Miss. If she knows that Miss beat Third Miss and disfigured her, she will definitely use this opportunity to find trouble with Miss."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tong felt relieved, but at the same time, she also became worried. She stood at the door with Ying Xue, looking out, thinking that if the Old Madam came looking for trouble, they would ask the General for help!
"Qiu Tong, what are you looking out for?" Xiao Xiang asked in confusion as she and the Third Concubine prepared to leave, seeing Qiu Tong and Ying Xue peering out the door.
"Nothing. Is Second Miss returning? Second Miss, Third Concubine, please take your time."
"Yes, Eldest Sister is fine, so we are relieved and won't stay any longer." As the few people walked out, Qiu Tong quickly saw them off.
At this moment, Steward Lu arrived with people. "Miss Qiu Tong, Miss Ying Xue, Young Master Wen is here to see Eldest Miss."
Ying Xue looked at Wen Mohan. Wen Mohan's complexion was somewhat pale. He was already injured and had forced himself to attend the polo match. Then the assassination incident occurred. He hadn't returned to his manor but had come to the General's Mansion.
Qiu Tong knew that Wen Mohan had a good relationship with her young lady. "Young Master Wen, please wait a moment. I'll go immediately..."
"Young Master Wen, please return," Ying Xue immediately blocked Wen Mohan. "My young lady does not wish to see anyone at the moment."
Wen Mohan's heart skipped a beat. Ying Xue's attitude towards him had always been good, never so firm. He immediately understood that something must have happened for this maid to turn against him.
"Very well, I came to deliver medicine." Wen Mohan handed over the box in his hand. "This is Yu Ning Lu. Please trouble Miss Ying Xue to take it inside to Man'er and supervise her to apply the medicine properly, so as not to leave any scars."
Ying Xue turned away. "My young lady has Yu Ning Lu. My young lady is not fortunate enough to accept Young Master Wen's gift. Please see yourself out."
Steward Lu looked at Ying Xue's firm attitude and then looked at Qiu Tong, who also looked confused, not knowing what had happened. Seeing Ying Xue's firm stance and not even allowing entry, Steward Lu immediately said,
"Young Master Wen, Eldest Miss is not feeling well. Perhaps you could come another day."
Wen Mohan nodded, looking back step by step, and finally left with reluctance.